In the House of a Stranger
by Mrs.Cebra
Summary: Caroline leaves Mystic Falls to find herself and to be an exchange student in Britain for a year. She just so happens to rent a room to the wrong person.
1. Prologue: the acceptance lettre

**In the house of a stranger**

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Vampire Diaries. Characters and cannon are only used in this story for the sole purpose of entertainment.

* * *

**Prologue: The Acceptance Letter**

Caroline didn't quite know what to do with the letter in her hands. She turned it over trying to wrinkle the expensive embroiled paper, she quickly bent her knees to retrieve the envelope as it had fallen to her feet in her hasty attempt to open the letter she had received. It was official then; she inspected the equally expensive and refined seal which only held two capital letters in a beautiful cursive she found most elegant. She decided to set the envelope over the table, in case it touched the floor again, her hands were shaking a lot more than she had anticipated.

-"Mom!"- she screamed to the top of her lungs, her mother, predictably, came down the stairs in a rush, always in a business-like sheriff fashion, she seemed to inspect her overall state of being and afterwards she asked in a very annoyed tone what had her interrupting her nap time. Caroline didn't even bat an eyelash at her mother's harsh tone, but her smile did widen.

- "well?"

-" It's here mom!"- she said, a step away from bouncing around the room like an easter Bunny

- "what? Caroline, you're making no sense, what are you talking about?"

- "the acceptance letter"

-"well?"

-" I'm going to Europe!"

Caroline couldn't really blame her mother for her lack of enthusiasm, or the aspirin she might have swallowed for the headache she had gotten over her overly-exited daughter. No, she couldn't blame her either when she went back to her room and left her to her own devises. It was a little disappointing, yes, but Caroline couldn't care less. She'd always dreamed of travelling, meeting the world and getting away from the oppressive hellhole that was Mystic Falls. And she was going to be one of those exchange students. Really, at the moment she could really care less about any other thing.

* * *

Caroline raced to the stairs and slammed open the door without a care in the world for her mother's naptime. Another time, she would worry about that, later. Right at that moment, she needed to talk to Elena.

She picked up the phone and clicked 3 on the speed-dial (her mother had always insisted 1 and 2 be for emergencies) waiting for the phone to click. At the fourth ring, came the breathy sound of Elena's voice over the speaker. She tried not to think of what she had been doing that had her sounding like that.

-"_hello?"_

_-"_Elena! I got it! I got it!"- she squealed in the speaker, barely managing to wait for Elena's greetings before dropping the news

_- "Caroline, It's very early in the morning; I think you'll have to be a little more specific than that"- _Caroline checked the clock on the wall.. Pfft.. 6:37 was _not_ too early

- "Oh my god! What is it with everyone today?! The exchange program? The scholarship? Awesome Britain?"

_-" Isn't it supposed to be Great Britain?"_

- "Elena, you're not helping!"

- "_Right! Oh my good Care! That is so great!"- _she heard the fumbling of fabric on the receiver and a soft slap noise before Elena whispered a furious 'Damon, stop it!'. followed by a string of noises she would rather not classify. Yes, she still denied she had a thing going on for the older Salvatore and she thought the rest of the world was so stupid no one was aware of it. Caroline decided however, that given how early it was, she probably wouldn't be able to talk to anyone else for another two hours. She could ignore Elena's less-than-subtle affairs for the time being.

- Yes! Oh my gosh! I'm going to be in the United Kindom for a year! Can you believe it? next to that, I'll visit Paris and have really dark chocolate in front of la tour Eiffel and then I'm going to go to Spain and try some paella, and then to Italy for a real pizza and gelato, Oh my god! I'm so excited!

-"_ I'm so happy for you, Care, I knew you were going to get it!_"- Caroline was too happy to bring up the fact that Elena, like everyone else, had been pretty much skeptical about her application to one of Britain's most prestigious schools. Let alone her special request to get a scholarship during her stay, seeing as her mother's salary wasn't nearly enough to keep her studying abroad and Caroline hadn't worked a day of her life.

- "Oh Elena, I wish you guys could come with me!" – Elena didn't comment, but it was obvious she thought that was a lie, 'If Caroline had wanted to stay with her friends, she wouldn't have applied to a snob school on the other side of the Atlantic', she had said once to Bonny. Caroline knew she was hurt, but she did need some time away for herself. All the supernatural drama of Mystics Falls had been weighting down on her lately, and it seemed no beauty sleep could keep it at bay.

There was a small pause on the other side of the phone and Elena sighed, trying to choose carefully her next words.

"_So, I take it you already talked to Tyler?"_- She spoke quietly and carefully in a way Caroline interpreted to say she was quite certain she hadn't. Elena thought She and Tyler were meant to be, so naturedly, she had been trying to let on (a lot more subtly than with her relationship with Damon) that she needed to speak to Tyler for their love to survive all through the ordeal.

Caroline sighed quietly and her bright moods suddenly seemed to dampen just a little- "No, I haven't spoken to him. Do you think he's going to take it the wrong way?"

"_I don't know care, but if someone I loved were leaving me behind for a year, I think I would want to know before it was too late to say goodbye"._

"Geeze Elena, you make it sound as If I'm dying"- a very unhelpful voice in her mind reminded her she was already dead, in fact.

"_I just… you're my friend and I don't want to see you get hurt by your own decisions"-_ Despite all her faults and her (sometimes unknowing) selfishness, Elena did care a lot about her friends. She could do nothing more than listen to her.

"I know… but this is something I need to do for myself".

"_I know. Just don't take too long ok? At the very least, you own him that_"- Caroline swallowed the need to spill to one of her friends exactly what she thought of Tyler at that very moment. He had said he loved her, yes. And then he constantly went out of his way to prove the exact opposite. She had enough drama in her life as it was to deal with his as well. The answer was short and polite, if a little cold, by her standards.

"Bye Elena"

"_See you, Care"- _she didn't wait to hear the click of the phone.

* * *

For all she had been trying to avoid it when she had secretly (to the knowledge of Tyler at least) made her application, she certainly didn't expect what followed. Tyler hung up on her the moment she told him she would be leaving for a year and then had stormed into her house not 5 minutes after the call to try to convince her not to go to one of the most important life experiences she would ever have. Then, when that didn't work, he tried bulling her into staying with him, going so far as to insult her to get her to stay. She had tried to hide it, but the disappointment she felt must have been so evident in her face, the next thing she knew, he had turned on his feet and left her house with a finality she'd only ever seen the day her father had decided to walk out on her mother and her to live with his new lover. She had cried enough for her father's abandonment and it had nearly consumed her. At that moment, when the door finally slammed behind him, Caroline made an oath to herself not to cry over Tyler ever again, so she let everything flow that night and by the next day, the incident was all but a bad memory.

* * *

Caroline fumbled through her application forms as she moved her feet impatiently under the desk. The librarian shot her a nasty look which she promptly ignored. She had stuff to take care of, plus it wasn't like there was anybody else in the library to begin with. This had been her one and only place for sorting her papers for the last month when she'd decided she wanted to be a part of the exchange program in her school.

The table in front of her felt a little small with all the travel books, itineraries, schedules, forms and her laptop sitting over it. She'd made her decision to go to Britain and that had been quite easy (after all, she didn't speak any other language and she had always dreamed of going to Europe) She wasn't sure of the exact location yet, though. She had a soft spot for Oxford, but then again, she liked to think of the possibilities of living in a big city like Edinburg or London. And then there were the towns so full of history like York or Durham. She was having a really hard time choosing, so she decided to leave it to chance. The new Caroline Forbes would not be afraid of taking a chance.

She finished her housing requests and hit sent. The first to answer her, would be the one to have her for a full year in their house, either way, the school she was going to be attending had sites all over the United Kingdom, so that, at least, wasn't so much of a problem. She ignored the fear that usually came from knowing nothing at all. She'd made a pact to herself to be more laid back, to be a little less responsible. She would take the chance, wherever it might take her.

She closed her pink laptop with at click and got it into its case as she then proceeded to methodically organize the massive assembly of very heavy books over the table for the librarian to pick up after she left. Before doing that, though, she would send the sour woman a blinding smile that was sure to make her feel bad for treating her like a pest. She was probably the only thing keeping her from coming home to a room full of cats.

The librarian didn't return the smile though; If anything, her glare turned meaner than before. She wondered exactly what she had done to upset the lady like that.

She sighed. Again, she was thinking too much into things. Wasn't that what Tyler had said to her just a few months ago?

Tyler. The name alone reminded her there were still a lot of things to be wrapped up before she left mystic falls. They had been dating for three years up until that moment, but things weren't the same anymore. She had gotten tired of the heated discussions they had all the time and yet, she couldn't help but do it, since it seemed it was the only way to actually connect with her longtime boyfriend. Things were not what they used to be. She knew this and she knew she had to tell him sometime, but they had become such good friends and they had gone through so many stuff together, she didn't know if she had it in her to break up with him. Instead she decided to just let him believe she still felt something for him, romantically speaking.

She knew the exchange would buy her time to find herself, figure out what she wanted, what was missing. It was really only an added bonus that she got to distance herself from him without having to break his heart in the process. He had not been very satisfied when she told him about it in the first place, so she could only hope in time, he came around.

Her phone buzzed in the pocket of her jacket and she brought it in front of her eyes to see that it was Elena calling her; apparently, Damon had finally flipped out on her and left her somewhere in the middle of nowhere. She signed as she made arrangements to pick up her friend. She knew Elena meant no harm to either one her lapdogs (as she sometimes called them) and she'd even been thrown into the whole mess a few times, but even though she had always stood by Stefan's side, she couldn't help feeling a little bad for Damon. The guy might be a douche, but it was painfully obvious he was in love with Elena and she just kept playing with him, whether she realized it or not.

To think of Damon like that made her feel a little better about her decision to let Tyler be free of her. She didn't want to do to him what her friend was doing to the eldest Salvatore. No matter how much they sometimes deserved it.

* * *

She went out for the next two weeks to get everything in order for her one year trip and left her phone in her house, pointedly ignoring any calls made from Tyler's Matt's or even Bonnie's cell phone, as she figured her _boyfriend_ would probably turn her own friends against her if he needed to.

She had worked hard (no matter what everyone though) for this and she was not going to stop just because she had apparently offended someone's feelings over her decision to, for once in her life, do something for herself.

It was exactly a month and a half after the little incident with Tyler that she found herself in a bus driving out of mystic falls to take her to the airport of Saint Francisco. While she was a little scared, she was also overly excited to the point she didn't know exactly what to feel anymore.

All her friends (minus Tyler) grouped in front of the bus right before her as each one of them took their chances to say goodbye. S_ome more enthusiastically than others_, she noted, as Damon provided his usual bitter/sarcastic remark she never knew whether to interpret as teasing or as an insult. She didn't think she would miss him that much.

Stefan had been a little friendlier, even in his now-constant mopping mode. He was also not blind to the particular stare Elena had seemed to develop specially for his brother. Matt, as always, provided the take-care speech before he hugged her between his bulky arms. Her two best friends had both launched at her at the same time, encouraging her (even in the not-so-sincere fashion) to have fun and see the world and make friends and not to worry about them.

Her mother, had never been much for words, but it spoke volumes the fact that she had called off the day at work just so she could be with her daughter before she left for another continent. Her mother wrapped her in a hug at least a little less awkward than the one they had shared a month prior and it was all Caroline needed to understand the meaning- _Be safe, I'll miss you_

The bus driver got in his seat and turned on the vehicle that would be taking her away from the only home she had ever known. She grabbed her flowery hand bag from the ground and turned to get on the bus, waving one last time as it slowly drove off too her next big adventure.

* * *

-.-


	2. Chapter 1: A Place to live

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Vampire Diaries. Characters and cannon are only used in this story for the sole purpose of entertainment.

* * *

**A place to live**

As it was, Caroline hadn't yet gotten any answer from any of the places she had requested for living arrangements. She was a little bit disappointed (and a lot more annoyed) at the fact that she would have to go from one place to the other in order to find the right address to settle.

All in all, however, she decided it couldn't be too bad. It gave her the perfect excuse to actually visit the cities and towns she had only ever seen in the internet and maybe latter in the year she would actually go to those places and stay a little bit longer.

She picked up her purple suitcase and headed for the nearest bed and breakfast, a concept she was not very used to, but at least they had everything she needed (only in a ridiculously small room) She put the heavier parts of her luggage in the side of the bed and picked up her camera and a map, ready to explore the city before her 10 days tour around the United Kingdom.

The man in the reception barely noticed she left, waving her off casually as she said goodbye in her usual overly friendly way._ She supposed she would have to adjust a little to a new environment. _

She marked a few places in the map (starting obviously by the Buckingham palace) and then went from there. The subway (_underground - _supplied the sugary voice of an old lady) was nearly empty at that time of the day, although maybe that had something to do with the fact that it was also weekend. Saturdays at London, it seemed, started a little later than they did in mystic falls. By the time she made it to Trafalgar square, she realized night was the best time to be in the city. The spontaneous concert was great (if a little bit crowded) and the contortionists in the other side of the street were a nice addition to the overall loud music and colorful lights. The night was still young, but after a whole day of walking the capital of England, she decided she needed to return to the quiet comfort of a bed. She could always come back to London.

* * *

The very next day Caroline took off to the bus station to buy a ticket for Durham. She didn't know why there first, but she figured it was as good place as any. She waited patiently amongst a sea of backpacks and luggage that seemed to take up more room than the people carrying them. That was, of course, if you counted the people _not_ sleeping over the same seats. Mostly dread locked young people like her, a few couples and a group of pierced teenagers. The rest of the passengers were either having a cup of…uh… _tea_ or standing around the cluttered seats. Caroline shuddered a little as she thought of the hot concoction; People had their tastes, but that thing was truly disgusting.

A bus stopped right in front of the closest gate and Caroline checked her ticket to confirm that indeed the gray hound unit just arrived was the one that would be taking her to Durham.

She wasted no time picking up the luggage from the floor and her handbag as she approached the fast-forming line at the side of the bus. The wind suddenly picked up and lifted the hem of the flowery dress she was wearing. Caroline made a note to take out her beige trench coat as soon as she got to her next destination.

She bumped on the lady in front of her, who she noted, was carrying a very cool set of combat boots with her very lady-like dress. She took a minute to admire her daring fashion move, before she apologized profusely in her most adult-friendly voice. She _did_ know how to treat older people.

As it was, the lady only smiled at her and offered her the most delicious cookie she'd ever tasted (and she had tried every cookie there was in mystic falls, much as it had cost her to keep her weight in check). After that, it seemed they became best friends for the rest of the journey.

It turned out Agatha, as she'd later introduced herself, was originally from Wales, but then had moved to Durham during her university years, where she had met her husband who was also not from Durham and they had decided to move to live there in honor of their ever-lasting love. She was now just coming back from a trip to her family's home as one of her grand-daughters had just married and wanted her to be there for the big moment of her union. Caroline, ever the romantic, could not help but ask every question that came to her mind to keep the lady talking, so when they eventually got to Durham, she already had a place to stay at Agatha's house. That was how good she was.

* * *

Unfortunately, after two days in Durham, Caroline realized it wasn't really for her (yes Harry Potter Cloisters at the Cathedral were awesome) but all in all, none of the dwellings she had seen were really what she was looking for to stay for the year. So by Wednesday, she packed up her stuff again and bid sweet Agatha, her delicious cookies and Louis goodbye. They made her promise to visit before the year was over and she honestly couldn't have agreed more.

* * *

Next in her list was York. Which she honestly didn't think she would love quite so much (she'd lived in a historic town all her life, how could this be any different?) But it was, it was so dramatically different from mystic falls in fact, Caroline found herself wanting to stay for at least a few days. She did go to a lot of museums (although, to be fair, the whole town was like an open exhibition) and got in one of those ponny-driven carriages and feed the eventual duck that came into town. Ate a lot of homemade cooking and went to a gothic bar at night, right next to the truck-man bar she had already visited on her first day there. York, however, turned out quite the same as Durham. What little places there were to rent, just weren't made for her. She needed open, light and aired. This just wasn't working out the way she wanted.

* * *

Edinburg turned out to be a lot bigger than she'd originally thought (yes, she knew it was big, but her overall perception of distance in a map was really not that great) so she took her time to rest at the hotel the night she got to Edinburg and set out for the city the next day.

_Soo… yeah… big_, it was all she could really think. She'd already got lost five times in the many streets and avenues of Edinburg and for the first time, she realized just how limited her life had been by the mere fact that she had lived in Mystic Falls ever since she was born. She'd been right all along, she just hadn't realized how right she had been.

She checked the map for the third time in the last 20 minutes to confirm that yes, she was lost yet again. It didn't bother her that much though, even though at Mystic Falls there was no such a thing as a taxi (why would they need them?), in Edinburg they were everywhere. There was really nothing to be worried about, so she kept walking until her inhuman legs gave out. That was how much she walked.

The next day, she visited 5 places, one after another, and she gradually got more and more discouraged as she realized that in that place, she wouldn't find a place to rent either. And her feet were killing her. For a moment she considered maybe her ring wasn't functioning… but no. She wasn't busting into flames, she was just tired. So. Very. Tired.

She took her leave that night;_ maybe the city wasn't ready for her._ She didn't want to think it was the other way around.

* * *

London came next, and even though she'd already been there, she'd really seen nothing at all. But there, she realized, just as in Edinburg, she wouldn't fit in. She was too used to a small town life, she needed a little bit of familiarity.

She went to oxford at last, and left her luggage in the first small hotel she could find. Then she took her ballerina flats and went out to walk around the town, not really looking for anything and not really expecting anything. Today, she decided, she would only enjoy herself. Tomorrow she would worry about a place to stay.

As she opened her wallet to pay in the small café in the middle of town, she realized tomorrow would have to be her lucky day, because otherwise, she would run out of money to keep travelling. At least until the school started. Then she'd have the scholarship. _Ugh.. how was she supposed to find a place here in oxford when she'd been all over the United Kingdom and found nothing yet? _This was really not good.

She paid the blue haired girl behind the counter and went to sit on a 2 people table. For once, she didn't feel like a weird bug as she looked around and noticed that, contrary to mystic falls, people in Oxford _could_ walk around solo. She still felt a little sad though. Maybe it was the music playing; it seemed it was made for the rainy country.

Caroline let out a long-suffering sigh as she sipped her hot chocolate, and discovered much to her amazement, it reminded her of home.

She took out the map of the city she'd been carrying around since she first checked in the hotel that day.

A quick survey of the general lay-out let her know almost all the renting sites were located in a general radius of half a mile (maybe a little bigger, but she wasn't in the mood to really measure). She took a moment to mark all the places in the map as she kept sipping on the rich, hot chocolate. Truly, of all things she'd tasted, that one had to be the better yet, well… maybe only second to Agatha's cookies. That reminded her of the offer the woman had made to stay with her and Louis for the year; while it had been the kindest thing anyone had ever offered her, Caroline didn't want to intrude in what was obviously the loveliest marriage she'd ever come across with, she'd just have to keep looking. Plus, so far, Oxford seemed like a pretty decent place to live.

Half an hour later, the night descended on the clear windows of the café and Caroline knew it was time to leave. Just as she was folding up the map blue haired girl came to her table to pass her a slip of paper.

Caroline looked surprised from the paper to the girls face who's nametag read Anne. She wasn't sure what exactly that was, but as lovely as she seemed, she was a little bit afraid she'd have to let the girl down; she didn't swing _that_ way. Fortunately, before Caroline could open her big mouth, the girl explained herself.

"I noticed you were writing down numbers and addresses earlier so I figured you were probably looking for a place to rent?"- Caroline extended her hand to the slip of paper, now that she was sure it wasn't a dating number. Anne continued as if she hadn't noticed her momentary discomfort- "This is from a guy who came here earlier. The address is right there over the number"- she said, signaling the letters over the slip of paper- "It's a little on the outside of town, but if you run out of options, you can always check it"- Then she smiled and picked up her now empty mug before walking back behind the counter. Caroline put the number in her purse and slipped a few coins over the table before she finally left.

Tomorrow would be the day, she decided. And that was her last thought before sleep overcame her.

* * *

Predictably, the weather forecast wasn't really very helpful when she went out that morning. Sunny and clear usually meant it wasn't going to rain in the day, but it seemed Britain functioned on a different set of rules. Needless to say, the poor excuse for umbrella she'd bought in the United States didn't really help any when it came to the windy, frozen rain of Oxford and ultimately, she was getting desperate.

She took cover under a small setback of a building and took out her map. She suppressed a small whimper as she realized there were no longer any places to see. All the ones she'd gone to had had a problem; one was too small, the other smelled funny, the other had no windows, the other was not furnished, another was horribly carpeted and that last one she'd seen, she'd been sure a rat had crawled into the wall. That, of course, had been a minor incident considering the disgusting little man who was supposed to be renting her the room. He'd tried to touch the hem of her skirts way too many times to be safe. Fortunately, Caroline had experience with drunken foolish high-school boys, so she avoided him easily enough. She just wasn't that stupid to think that flat was even an option- She reached her hand into her purse to throw away the paper with his name on it- _Sorry wormtail, you're gonna have to try harder. And maybe be reborn a few times. _ – When she took her hand out, a different paper came out instead. This one had no name, just an address and a number. The face of the blue haired girl in the café suddenly came forward and she decided, wet, tired and out of options as she was, there was really nothing to lose.

She took a bus to the nearest stop from the solitary address in the outskirts of oxford and then walked around half a yard back to the door. There was something really wrong with the picture, she decided, as she laid her eyes on the ridiculously big mansion that now stood before her.

Caroline checked the address, twice, but she'd not been mistaken. She couldn't help but wonder why someone with such obvious amount of money would need to rent a part of their house to a complete stranger, but let go of that thought as soon as it started raining harder, if that was even possible.

She ringed the bell and waited until she heard the soft steps on the other side of the door.

The sight that greeted her was surprising to say the least. A young man, she could only assume was the son of the owner, opened the door swiftly as he took in her dripping wet state. Her blond tresses plastered to her face in what she was sure was not her best look and her ballerina flats, or what remained of them, gushed water like small fountains at her feet. At the very least he didn't seem to notice her almost translucent dress as it clung to her hips like a second skin. Yes, today was not her day.

"Hi, I'm sorry to come like this, without calling in advance, but I was around the neighborhood and I heard there was a room for rent in this house?"

When he didn't respond, Caroline started feeling like a fool. What had she been thinking? Of course it wasn't the right address, this was also in no ways a little far from town, it was _very_ far from town- _Idiot Caroline stupid! stupid! stupid!- _

"Ok, I see I have the wrong address, please forgive my obvious lack of manners, for some reason this girl at the café thou-"-

"Would you like to come in?"- He asked at last, coming further into the light. She was taken aback by the utter beauty of this stranger whose curly blonde locks made him look like he could have been a model for Michelangelo Buonarroti.

She took a moment to process the fact that he also had the most wonderful voice she'd ever heard and then she tried to remember _what _it was he had said.

"_Ugh?"_

"Would you like to come in?"- he repeated, completely ignoring her less than luscious blabbering.

"Yes"- She said almost without thinking- yes I would like that very much.

He smiled at her in what had to be the cutest expression she'd ever seen in a man before and he moved to the side to let her in.

-"Would you like to have some tea sweetheart?"- He asked. Well, if he asked like that, she couldn't even bring herself to say no to him.

- "Yes please".

- "Great, follow me, I'll make enough for the both of us"- He showed her to the next room, which turned out to be the kitchen and made her sit in the vintage fragile-looking table beside a window that faced what she could only assume was the east-side of the house-" Earl grey?"- _uh? – "_the brand of the tea, unfortunately, I don't have a lot of variety"

-"that's just fine, thanks"- she didn't know what to do with herself as the strangely compelling stranger made her tea in his way too luxurious kitchen. He didn't seem to notice just how out of place she looked, but the minutes passed and Caroline began feeling uncomfortable with the silence that had descended upon them in the middle of the quiet affair. She wasn't very used to silence- "So, umm..Do you happen to know anyone around here who's willing to take in an American student for the year?"- He let out a quiet laugh in his deep baritone.

- "You weren't wrong, There _is_ a room to rent in this house. Two actually, but I'm thinking that over still"- She was baffled to silence. _This mansion was up for Rent?_. Well not the mansion, a room, but still. She cleared her throat

-" oh! I thought"- She cut herself as she realized he was looking at her with mirth in his eyes. Surely she knew exactly what she was thinking, so she decided not to say anything else- well, It probably won't make a difference though, I'm only a student and I don't think I'll be able to afford a place like this.

He laughed at that and shook his head as he poured the hot water in the two mugs, then he put the teabags inside each one of them and gave one to her, signaling for her to take a seat.

"Would you like some sugar? Milk? Lemon?"

"Sugar please"

"He put a teaspoon of sugar in his mug and added one in his own".

"American huh, so what brings to this side of the world?"

"I'm going to be studying here for a year, you know, as an exchange student"

"Ah yes! That does sound most exiting"

"It is"- she agreed before taking offered mug from his hands.

"So, what exactly is your budget?" - he asked as he took the first seep of his tea, casually crossing his right leg over his left one.

"Oh no… I'm not going there, I'm pretty sure It will do me no good to even consider this. You live in a very nice house, by the way"

"Do try to humor me, love"- She had heard some English men tended to the small pet-names, but this man made it sound like every word that came out of his mouth was nothing but sincere.

"Well, I can pay no more than 400 pounds a month. All charges included"- She added almost to herself as she tried not to choke on her tea. She was convinced by now this wasn't the same tea she'd had the first day she'd arrived to England. This tasted a lot better.

The room I'm renting costs 380 Pounds

"You're renting a room? Where?"- He seemed not to understand her and he inclined his head to the side, waiting for her to elaborate- "Well, I mean, this is your father's house or something, right?"- his eyebrows relaxed when he understood what she was implying

Actually, no. It's all mine

"Whoa…"- _what?- "_hmm..so, how old are you?"- he laughed at that, but didn't respond.

"Would you like me to show you the room?"

"Umm.. Yeah!"- She realized what she sounded like and quickly corrected her mistake- "Err.. I mean, Yes, I would like that"- He chuckled and then he got up from his seat, taking both her mug and his to the counter- "I'm Caroline, by the way."

"Nicklaus, but you can call me Klaus if you like"

She found she very much liked the sound of that.

-.-

* * *

A/N: I'm blown away by the amazing feedback I received after the prologue, so I decided to update this a little sooner than anticipated.. ;) enjoy


	3. Chapter 2: The live-in agreement

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the Vampire Diaries. Characters and cannon are only used in this story for the sole purpose of entertainment.

* * *

**The live-in agreement**

To say that Caroline had been impressed by Klaus's house would have been a little bit of an understatement. She did find that in the short time she knew him (or rather, knew of him), assessments fell short when one referred to the blue eyed Englishman, apparently, that applied to the things he owned as well.

As soon as they left the kitchen Klaus offered his hand to (unnecessarily) help her stand up from her chair, which, much to her chagrin, was dripping wet just like she was. She hurried to make up an apology, but instead he commented on how stupid he was and offered her a fresh clean towel to dry herself as they made their way up the spectacular staircase in front of the hall. How she hadn't noticed that before, Caroline blamed it on the rather attractive creature walking just a few feet in front of her.

He explained the house had been standing for over 200 years and had recently been renovated to include new pumping systems and electrical fixtures. Overall, Caroline found this place either had belonged to aristocracy, or to someone with a lot of money, or power, maybe both.

He guided her down the long corridor, illuminated through high vertical windows all the way, each one of them, she noted approvingly, was framed by a set of light beige curtains, so the light flirted with the wide corridors, touching delicately the many paintings that adorned the walls.

At last, he came to the last door to the left and took a key out the front pocket of his black slacks. The door sounded with a soft click, and he pushed it open to show her the room.

She couldn't contain the gasp that escaped her upon the sight of such place. It was, of course, no regular room. No, this room was at least three times as big as her own room back at mystic falls; it had a complete façade facing the backyard, which, as everything in that house, was quite impressive with a carpet of lilies and other pink flowers she couldn't recognize.

The balcony, predictably, was big enough to fit a small set of table and chairs and of course the bed was at least queen sized with exquisitely chosen fabrics that went with the overall light champagne and soft yellow of the room.

The bathroom, he told her, was not inside the room, as it was an old house, there were only two bathrooms and one of them was inside his own chambers. When he showed her the nearly sauna style bathroom she knew she'd found the place. It took her less than 5 minutes (or however long it took them to get to the door) to be completely convinced, but she still let him show her the rest of the house.

They had an immense backyard which he told her had a small river running somewhere, then there was the basement turned into studio/playroom, there was a pool table and also a small (not really that small) bar with a selection of only the finer brands of wine and scotch and even a few beers with letters in a language she didn't much recognize.

Then there was the dining hall. She thought they didn't make those any longer; apparently, they did, but Klaus told her he much preferred to eat in the much smaller, much humbler table that was on the kitchen, there, at least, he felt a little more at home. She couldn't agree more.

The living room was more of a small group of various living spaces which could fit three big couches, two loveseats, a piano, another bar, an empty spot big enough to fit another set of couches –"I like to have a little room to stretch out my legs"- he explained- _like he needed such a thing!_ - And a small tea area.

She wasn't really that surprised they had another set of stairs that led to an observatory, but he confided in her he only ever went up there when he wanted a little time to relax and watch the stars. She couldn't help but wonder why would he need to relax even more when he had such a house, but decided the thought of him sitting alone to contemplate the stars would have to be the most romantic image she'd had of a man in a long time.

By the time she left, it had stopped raining, but Klaus still offered to take her to town where she was staying (it's the least I can do after you came all this way on your own) he'd said. She decided it couldn't hurt to take him up on his offer; she did love chivalry.

* * *

Free of the intoxicating presence of Klaus, Caroline sat that night in her small room at the hotel of Oxford and contemplated what to do next; she did love Klaus's house like no other, but she had the impression if she moved there, she'd soon find it impossible _not_ to flirt with him. He was, after all, quite attractive and charming.

There was also the less important fact that his house was at least 6 miles away from the town's center, where she would be attending her snobby school.

Caroline did a small recount of all the places she'd seen that day to find that she really, really, really had never considered living in any of the other renting places. If she'd ever considered them, the fact that she'd already seen Klaus's house pretty much ruined every chance she had at finding anything relatively modest. There, she heaved a long-suffering sigh; she knew she couldn't fool herself for too long. Caroline had never been one for humble _or_ modest.

She took the slip of paper that now had the bold pink letters of Klaus's name in her favorite lipstick and marked the numbers in her cell phone. It was already past 8, but she imagined someone like him wouldn't be the kind to sleep too early.

The phone only ringed 3 times before he answered his phone.

"_Yes?"_

"Umm... hi! This is Caroline speaking, Am I talking to Klaus?"

"_Caroline! It's good to hear from you. Tell me love, what can I do for you?"_

"I decided I want to rent the room you're offering"

"_Excellent!"_ - _He had the most bizarre speech ever. Even for an Englishmen. _Thought Caroline distractedly, she almost missed his next question- "_would you like me to prepare the contract?"_

"Yes please, that would be great"

"_There's a small café just beside the Thames where I like to go when I go into town, would you like to meet there to sign it?"_

"That sounds good to me"- Then he proceeded to give her the exact address and indications on how to get there. She later found out it didn't really show on the map she had.

"_Brilliant. I'll see you there tomorrow at 10:00" _

"Tomorrow, 10:00, great".

"_See you then sweetheart"._

"..Ok...bye!" - Caroline could barely contain her excitement, although she didn't know if it was because of her _almost_ date with Klaus or the fact that she would be living with him. Somehow, the beautiful room just didn't come to her mind.

* * *

As agreed, the next day Caroline took the prettiest dress she'd packed and put it on over a pair of black leggings and grey low boots. She wondered briefly if she was maybe trying too hard. She took a good look at the dark Red dress she wore and flattened the wide skirt with her hands. _Nah!_

She took her matching purse and marched all the way to the small café Klaus had told her about, to find him already sitting there in a table. She checked her watch to corroborate that no, she wasn't late, so evidently, he did take punctuality at heart, and decided to be there early instead.

As soon as she opened the door his eyes immediately flew to her. He took note of her dress, long legs and perfectly combed hair. She was definitely a sight to behold. He'd already thought so the day before, when she'd looked like she'd fallen in the river and found her way to his doorstep, today however, she looked lovely and ready to conquer the world, smile and all.

Klaus wasted no time in calling over the waitress to ask for something to eat. He said he didn't eat early on weekends, and she honestly couldn't blame him. She wasn't the type to wake up early unless she was required to. She did need her beauty routines. Klaus however, didn't seem like he needed much to appear at complete ease and control of himself and what he wanted to look like. His blue eyes seemed even brighter in the sunlight and for a moment, she wondered if she was dreaming.

Not too long passed, however, before their orders arrived to the table. The breakfast had been the best Caroline had had up until that moment; all the hotels were bent on serving porridge and bacon, which she found fun to try the first day, and a week later found she already hated. This was a nice change, and Klaus proved to know a lot about the best dishes, the city's history, the anecdotes, the stories behind the stories and a lot of things regarding the old roots on Britain. He even provided some little snippets on Irish history as well, but didn't go too far, as he said she'd have to see for herself.

She found she enjoyed his stories so much that by the time they actually got to talk about the contract, they had already shared two meals in the same small table and the fog was starting to descend on the streets of Oxford.

"So, when will I be able to move in?"- She asked, as he opened the door to the café for her and let her through

"As soon as you wish sweetheart. If you want, II can help you move your belongings to the room".

"As in, right now?"

"If you wish…" - He shrugged his shoulders, like it didn't really matter to him- "It's not like I'm in the middle of anything right now".

She smiled at his half –hearted attempt to take importance off the fact that he was willing to help her in such mundane task.

"Ok"- She said, already taking a few steps ahead of him and guiding the way back to her hotel. Not that there was really much to move, Caroline did, after all only take one luggage, but it was nice to have someone to talk to on the way there.

* * *

Caroline walked to the hotel while Klaus went to his "house" to get his car, so they wouldn't have to take the bus.

It was a little impressive how he managed to get back to the hotel in less than 10 minutes; she could have sworn the bus to his house had taken more than 20 minutes to get to the isolated house

"I know a shortcut"- He explained. When she raised her eyebrows in wonder he added- "and I paid a taxi".

"You really didn't have to do that, how much do I own you?"

"Don't be ridiculous love. Save your money to buy yourself some rain-worthy clothing"- she smiled at his offhanded way to handle his careless expense of money. Her mind supplied quietly that, while Tyler had a lot more money than she did, he would have made her pay for the taxi. Klaus was a little bit more of a gentleman.

She carried her luggage trough the paved curb until she came closer to his car, then he took one of her hands in his and guided her to the passenger seat of his car _on the wrong side?_ Caroline noted. Then he moved back to where she'd left her luggage and carried it over his shoulder like it weighted nothing more than a few milligrams. Caroline knew for a fact it was pretty heavy; so heavy in fact, that she'd accidently broken the handle trying to lift it up the stairs to her room in the hotel.

She supposed he worked out often, although he certainly didn't seem the type who enjoyed working out. Caroline took the time to appreciate her soon-to-be Landlord/roommate as he maneuvered to get the heavy luggage inside the trunk of his…_ was that a BMW?_

Klaus didn't take longer than a few seconds though, so Caroline found herself watching straight ahead in front of her as he closed the door to the driver's seat.

"Would you like to do anything else in town before I take you to the house, Caroline?"- She chewed on her bottom lip at his apparent obliviousness of the fact that she found him unreasonably hot for someone she'd just met. That was just problematic, She was going to have to live with this guy, and she already found it hard to organize her thoughts in his presence _Carolineee..._ he said, like he were reciting Shakespearean poetry. Needless to say, she found it hard to think of her name as boring or simple when he said it like that and the hairs at the back of her neck stood on end as he watched her intensely. She wanted nothing more than to watch into his eyes, _to be lost forever in the blue…_

"No, I think I'm ready to go now"- she answered, not quite knowing why, all of a sudden, she couldn't think of a single thing she wanted to do more than being away, alone, with him.

"Great, buckle-up love, we wouldn't want anything happening to that pretty face of yours"- Definitely, there was something sinful about the way he talked, but she found herself compelled. How ironic that she was the Vampire and she found _his _voice compelling. She almost giggled at that, but contained herself at the last minute as she realized she probably looked like a complete idiot. Then again, who would blame her? The guy had a killer accent and a very deep, musky, sexy voice. Ugh… She was crushing badly on him. If she could just keep that mouth moving over and over again…- "…oline, Are you ok?"-

The world came back into focus and she blushed a little in embarrassment. She found she missed the endearments a bit, at least that allowed her to concentrate on the fact that she hadn't moved in over a minute- "Right!" - She put the seatbelt around her and fought a little with the buckle as she found her hands ridiculously numb in the cold weather (at least that's the only thing that made _logic _sense) though, to be faire, it had been a while since she'd ever felt cold, not since she was a vampire. It couldn't have anything to do with the fact that she felt stupid sitting beside him.

Klaus took the buckle in his left hand putting it over hers and fixing her seatbelt for her as it was obvious she couldn't do it alone. She didn't know whether to feel very much like an idiot or a little bit in love.

"Ready?" - She only nodded, not quite trusting her voice.

-.-

As soon as they got to the house, Klaus proceeded to give her a detailed explanation of the things she could and could definitely never (_I mean it sweetheart) _ever do. He then placed an envelope in her hands and instructed her to read it as soon as she was able to.

-" Just a little formality"- he explained as her eyebrows quirked under his gaze. Then he took the key to her room from the font pocket of his pants, were he'd put them the day before and welcomed her home.

"You can leave the suitcase by the door, I'll take care of that for you"- he offered

"Oh! There's no need, I can do it myself"- She said, thinking she would really love to have a nice bath in the spa-like bath chambers. It had been a few days since she'd last found peace and quiet. He stood in the middle of the hall as he assessed her answer with his profound blue eyes. She imagined he was contemplating on whether to insist or not.

"Very well"- He responded at last. She suddenly felt just a tiny bit uncomfortable and didn't know exactly what to do or say. She decided it was probably best to say something, if only so he wouldn't think her rude.

"Umm, so… is there any place around here where I can get something for dinner?" - She wanted to face-palm, but forced her hands to stay firmly by her side as she reasoned, if she was a normal person, she would want to know where to eat. _A more accurate question in her case would have been where to find what to eat._ But she already knew, even with her relatively underdeveloped senses, there was no other living soul in at least 3 miles around the house.

He frowned a little his eyebrows, like he had no idea what she was talking about, but just as soon as it came, his expression had smoothed again into a neutral placid calm that seemed to suit his every feature. He cleared his throat before speaking, but she could see the moment something in him shifted and he was suddenly walking away from her.

- "I have some food on the fridge if you need to eat anything, then you can go buy whatever you like on the morrow"- He called, disappearing down one of the hallways and leaving Caroline once again alone with her thoughts.

* * *

She carried her luggage to her room (which she honestly didn't remember was do far from the staircase) relatively easily, it would have been easier had she just used her vampire speed, but she preferred not to do it until she memorized a little bit of Klaus's patterns and the places he used to move around the house before she did anything to let him know she was a vampire. It didn't occur to her she could just compel him if he saw anything he shouldn't.

Caroline dropped her things by the closet and sat down on the bed to inspect the envelope her new landlord/roommate had given her.

It was a list, she realized, and it read something like this:

_Dear new occupant,_

_As you will be staying in this house there are a few ground rules you should know. Please follow these instructions to heart and I assure you, we'll get along just fine._

_It is necessary and expected that every person staying at this house bathes at least once in a day- she snickered- She couldn't blame him on that one. There were some people with some nasty hygiene habits. _

_The doorbell on the door is there for a reason, please make good use of it-_hehe...heh...hehe. She could think of a few reasons why he would put that in the live-in agreement.

_All the wooden furniture, staircase, tops finishes, sculptures and so on are very old and expensive; please do not make me kick you out of the house by damaging any of it._

_The attic and all closed rooms are at all times forbidden please keep your curiosity under check. _

_The fridge provided in the kitchens is for your use only, keep it full and keep it clean._

_You must not, under any circumstances speak to any of the maids or any other service staff- _she stopped here for a minute, the whole thing sounded a little bit like an extract of the Beauty and the beast. Although Klaus was most definitely _not_ a Beast.

_If you like to sing to the top of your lungs, or fancy yourself a master of an instrument you can't really play, please feel free to practice out of the house, this is a place for peace and quiet._

_Do not disturb in the late hours of night or early in the mornings. Especially the Wednesdays and Saturdays. _Wednesdays? Really? She tried to think of a reason for this strange note, but realized she never asked Klaus what he did for a living.

_Visitors are permitted, as long as you introduce them to the owner of the house first- _well there it was; the grandpa's policy. Ugh... she'd have to arrange quiet meetings or make the outside of the house. It would be sooo embarrassing having to introduce anyone to him.

_You own your room. Same conditions apply, specially the last one._

_Enjoy your stay._

_Hmm.. ok.. so creepy. _Caroline decided to keep the list attached to the back of her door just in case she forgot anything. Ultimately she forgot all about the list and the vaguely disturbing aspects of it as she reasoned, no one could be _that _perfect and little bit of quirkiness here and there never hurt anyone. So she took everything from her suitcase and headed for the bathroom. She didn't see Klaus for the rest of the day.


	4. Chapter 3: the new acquintances

**Chapter 4:**

A/N: On the last chapter, someone asked if Klaus knew Caroline was a vampire. No, he doesn't, neither does Caroline know he is (obviously). And yes, it is a Vampire fic, so fasten your seatbelts ;)

* * *

**The New Acquaintances **

Caroline woke up with the distinct feeling she was floating in a sea of cotton buds. She imagined if clouds were actually, you know… more than condensed water in the atmosphere they'd probably feel like the bed where she now slept.

She opened her eyes and a smile came to her face as the light filtered through the balcony of her room and a high ceiling window just above her head which came right to her feet. Caroline thanked Bonnie for her ring yet again. She loved the warmth of the sun, even if, technically, she was supposed to be a creature of the night. As it was, the soft light ticked the expanse of exposed skin as her comforter had been twisted between her legs sometime in the night.

Caroline stretched in the (huge) bed and let out a little gasp as her muscles rearranged and she breathed to her heart's content all the while. It all came to an abrupt halt, however, when her stomach started growling. She remembered then she hadn't really had anything to eat for three days and she'd have to do something about it before she went on a killing rampage or worse, she bit Klaus. Never once did she stop to analyze the order of her priorities.

She put the covers to the side and jumped to the warm beige rug in the floor by the bed. It was spotless, as expected and it was also so fluffy, she knew she could sleep on it if she didn't already have a very comfortable bed on her big, beautiful, illuminated room. Caroline sighed contently and did a little dance in her underwear and undershirt (she allowed herself a little freedom when she slept) before putting her hair in a sloppy ponytail and leaving the room to brush her teeth. She knew for a fact no one was in the house, as she couldn't hear or smell them, so there was not a chance to run into Klaus anytime soon. She did, however, run straight into an old guy wearing a tuxedo inside of the house. And she was parading her heart-patterned underwear right in front of him. It took her less than two seconds to run back in the room and slam the door behind her, but she was sure he saw it all. Ugh... She really hoped Klaus never heard about that, he'd probably take her for another wild careless American freak.

Just as she fumbled to find some pants to wear over her underwear, she heard a knock on the door.

"Caroline?"- _Oh great! Now Klaus _is_ here. _Damn her luck.

"Just a second!"- She squealed through the door and put the first set of pants she came across with. Some really ugly pink pair her father had once given to her which she had packed for the sole purpose of having something that reminded her of home. She was starting to regret her small sentimentality as she was now standing in front of the hottest man she'd met in a while with something that surely made her look a lot more brainless than she usually felt. That was actually the reason she never wore those (other than the hideous color). It was enough that Damon called her a Barbie. She didn't need to look the part too.

"I see you've already met Mr. Jones here".

"Who?"- then she looked to Klaus's right where his head leaned casually in the direction of the old man she'd ran into mere minutes before. She tried not to avert her eyes when she felt all the blood rushing to her cheeks. She suddenly felt unreasonably hot.

"He will be staying here to run the house when I'm not present, I thought it would be proper to do the introductions, although it seems you've already made quite an impression"- she felt her blush intensify and when she raised her eyes to meet Klaus's she had the impression he was rather enjoying her embarrassment, but at least she could pretend running around in one's underwear was the normal in America. Mr. Jones looked a bit more mortified and she was just a little glad when she looked at him he seemed even more embarrassed than she felt (and that was saying something). She took the momentary silence to stretch her hand for Mr. Jones to shake. He did so reluctantly.

"So, now that that's taken care of, I must leave you. We'll meet later to make the necessary arrangements"- he told Mr. Jones- "Have a nice day Caroline"-

She could have sworn his eyes tinkled.

Before she had a chance to do much of anything, Klaus had disappeared down the hall and when she finally turned her attention back to Mr. Jones, he'd vanished from thin air. The man barely even _smelt._

Then again, maybe her senses were getting numb with all the rain, because she could have sworn Klaus had not been in the house just seconds before.

* * *

By the time Caroline had finally decided what to wear for the first day of school it had already passed an Hour and a half and it seemed she was alone yet again. She closed the door quietly behind her and contemplated running to the center of Oxford. It was just too convenient the bus showed up right at that moment. It was better this way, she reasoned. The other way, she'd probably get mud all over her shoes and she was _not _having that on the first day of school. What if she met a cute guy there? Would she greet them with dirty shoes? No. She would definitely not.

She got on the bus then and sat on one of the many seats available. Apparently that route wasn't too popular.

All in all, it took her 20 minutes to get to civilization, so she took the time to study her map and the best way to get to the school from the bus stop. It turned out by the time she got to Oxford (center of Oxford) it had started raining _again_ so her shoes fell into third place after her hair and her white shirt.

The day was slowly turning out to be disastrous, but nevertheless she entered the School as proudly as only she knew how to do it and marched through the long deserted halls of her new school. The secretary wasn't that forthcoming, that, she found, wasn't much different from mystic falls, where she'd had to compel the lady at least three times to get her to quit her bitching over her tardiness, the height of her skirt or the student body. She smiled all the same and pretended not to notice the sour look the old woman directed her way. _Yep, feels like home already. _ Next thing she knew, she would be making friends with a girl who just couldn't make up her mind about the two men in her life. If she was lucky enough, she'd even get the judgmental best friend in the combo. Caroline wouldn't be crossing her fingers on that one. Enough drama back home to bring it to Europe, plus, that's what this was all about, right?

So, when she finally got to the main hall again, this time filled with people coming from all sides, she studied the crowd briefly looking for someone who she would most likely never had befriended back at mystic falls. She decided on a shy looking tartan-skirt wearing girl not 10 feet away from her. _Those glasses_ were the first thing Caroline thought. _If she only got rid of those glasses. _Then of course came the obvious assessment of her shoes (something she must have surely burrowed from her grandmother's closet) and the pink and green socks which reached right below her knees, a definite no-no in Caroline's book. Especially with that skirt.

The girl barely lifted her gaze when she approached her. She simply flashed her a timid smile and before Caroline could utter a word, she closed her locker and disappeared in the crowd. Well there goes her vict-err…friend attempt.

"Are you lost Barbie?"- Ah no… _hell no_ She'd been there less than a week, she would _not_ let anyone call her anything other than Caroline. And then, she could also allow the lovely endearments Klaus used with her. Whether she would feel comfortable hearing them from anybody _other _than him… well… She would cross that bridge as soon as it came in front of her.

Caroline turned her head in the direction of the new voice, until she came face to face with a skinny, tall girl. Caroline almost cringed at how white she was. Then again, she guessed the black hair against paler than thou skin wasn't really helping, nor was the fact that she was dressed from head to toe in black and had some dark shade of red in her lips. But really, none of that seemed too important compared to the fact that her eye-makeup obscured the best part of her glowing green eyes. Such a pity, she was rather pretty. Even with all the overdone makeup and bitch attitude.

"No more than you, I assure you. I don't recall having seen a circus in Oxford".

"It's actually coming and going every now and then"

"You don't say!"- She replied with the same cold contempt Damon often used on her. She knew for a fact it had the worst effect on people- wonders never cease.

"Hmm... you have an edge, I like it"- Said the girl just before she extended her hand in front of her and her face contorted around a (mostly genuine) smile- "I'm Kyle, by the way".

"Kyle"- Caroline tested the name, deciding it fit perfectly the strange girl In front of her- Is this how you usually make friends?

"Just the American ones, have to see what you're made of"

"How has that worked out for you?"

"You tell me"- Caroline sighed, before coming to the conclusion that weird friend was better than no friend at all. Barbie comment aside, at least she hadn't judged her based on her looks

"I'm Caroline"

"Do you need a guide to help you get around?"

"Are you going to call me by my name"

"It depends on how worthy you prove yourself"- Said Kyle, raising one eyebrow in a silent challenge

"Fair enough"- She said while she took a long suffering breath and rearranged her brown leather bag over her shoulder- "Shall we go?"

* * *

Caroline sighed after she finally got out of the bus that afternoon. Kyle, it turned out, was exactly the opposite of her friends back at mystic falls; she was disturbingly serious and energic all at the same time. The first few hours of the day had been spent either on verbal sparring with the girl or some other form of challenge that had her exhausted in no amount of time. That was saying something, considering all her experience.

By the time lunch break came around, she realized this was Kyle's way of getting to know people. She _had _said she liked her spunk, after all. That didn't make her feel any less relieved when she finally got to the last period only to realize Kyle would not be there. She'd apparently chosen some sort of expression course while she personally couldn't draw a stick figure to save her life, so instead she had chosen a history of Europe course which mainly focused on the cultural aspects of history. All in all, it wasn't terribly boring, but she did find she liked best the way Klaus told stories, they seemed a lot more personal and entertaining in a way that somehow reminded her of those tales Stefan told her when she'd been transitioning into a vampire.

Huh. That reminded her, she hadn't really spoken to any of her friends since she'd gotten to Europe. It had almost been a week and despite everything that had led her away from mystic falls, she did miss them (just a bit though).

While she made her way to the front door of the mansi-err- house, she took her phone out of her purse and started dialing the numbers to Elena's phone. If she knew her like she thought she did, she'd probably be at the Salvatore's at that moment, with a little bit of luck Bonnie would be there too, so she wouldn't have to make more than one phone call.

Mind made up, she marched distractedly to the front door, only to stop short as her foot fell knee deep on a hole in the ground, filling her entire stockings in what she could only hope was mud. So far, she hadn't seen ay animals around the house, but it would be just her luck if there were. Ugh…

"Damn it!"- She cursed under her breath as she struggled to free her foot from the hole she was sure hadn't been there that morning when she left the house. Caroline ceased her struggling and with a quick look around her, she decided it was time for her Vampire agility to come in handy. It was just her luck that at that moment the front door opened and she had to pretend her epic jump was actually a miscalculated step that sent her straight to the mud she heard the crack of a bone as her leg twisted in an unnatural angle. It never occurred to her she could have just made whoever had come to her aid forget anything they'd seen.

"Are you ok miss Caroline?"- came the overly polite voice from the front door. She had to force a small smile even though her leg was killing her in the position she was in at the moment

"Ah! Mr. Jones! Yes, I'm fine, thank you for asking"

"Do you need any help miss?"

"No!"- She almost yelled! - "err, I mean… I'm ok"- She almost cursed her stupidity when Mr. Jones looked down on her with a very unimpressed look- "you know what? I think I will need your help after all"- She smiled in a not-at-all-convincing way, but Mr. Jones didn't seem to notice, and next think she knew, he was howling her up from her right arm with surprising strength for someone who looked to be in his middle 60's. He arched a suspicious eyebrow when her leg popped back into place with a loud crack and she faked a cough fit to drown whatever question he might have thought to ask.

"Come along Miss Forbes, it you stay like this too long there's saying how long you'll last with a cold"- He didn't let her argue and instead pulled on her arm vigorously to the front door. Just then, Klaus showed up on the receiving hall in a perfectly clean white sweater and black slacks that looked like they were made specifically for him.

"Caroline, you're home!"

"Klaus!"- Well now she was embarrassed- "I...uh... didn't know you would be here"- and now she was talking nonsense. Why wouldn't he be there?

Mr. Jones pulled insistently on her forearm and her attention snapped for a moment from the (marvelous) man in front of her. It wasn't Mr. Jones's pull what had put her out of her (mostly normal) trance though, but rather the fact that she couldn't cross the door.

Caroline pulled away from Mr. Jones grip as if his hands were on fire. He shot her a very confused look, but she didn't spare any time in making up an excuse

"I...uh…left my phone on the mud, I need to go back"- She yelled over her shoulder as she expertly released herself from the man's grip and ran back to the front yard where she'd dropped her phone, her every brain cell trying to work out some way to make Klaus invite her in without having to compel him- strange as it seemed that just the day before, she'd been able to get in without much of a trouble

"Are you ok there, sweetheart?"- Damn. She needed time to think. This wasn't good, not good at all.

"I'm… yes…just, I can't find my keys"- she said, as she tightened her right hand over the metal weight on her pants pocket.

"It's not that important love, we're here, so you can come in and look for them afterwards"- _Bingo!_

"Are you sure?"

"Sure, It's not that big of a deal, plus you're going to freeze out there"-

She smiled a conceding smile and marched over to the door, still not completely convinced but a lot more satisfied now that she was sure Klaus _had_ invited her in to the house.

She looked down on her feet then and realized she really was missing something; on her left foot, were there was once a ballerina flat, now stood a knot of muddy grass between her first and second thumb, which was really disgusting, but overall, she was most interested in getting her shoe back. She really did like those, even though by now they were most likely ruined beyond repair. Then it started raining.

"Miss Caroline, you're not thinking of going back, surely?"- Mr. Jones tone sounded a bit more scandalized than she thought strictly polite, but she ignored it and proceeded to explain her missing shoe

"They're my favorite"- she concluded, as it that was obvious enough. Mr. Jones let out an exasperated sigh as he gestured with his white gloved hands for her- "Do come inside miss, I'll take care of your missing shoe"- She chanced a look at Klaus and he nodded in assent.

She had no choice then. She really hoped it was Klaus and not his father (or any other rich person) the owner of the house, so she could come in quietly- he _had_ said he owned the house, hadn't he?

She crossed the door carefully under the expectant gaze of both Klaus and Mr. Jones. Afterwards, she could pretend it was because she was afraid to get the floor dirty or something. Not that they would ask.

As her head came through the front door she let out an inaudible sigh of relief as she passed the home barrier without any fuss. _At least_- she thought- _one of us isn't lying_.

* * *

A month passed in a blur, but might as she tried, she couldn't bring herself to talk to anyone. She wasn't sure she had anything to say. That was until that day. Caroline sat in front of the computer for the 3rd time that day, cursing all kinds of ways in which she would like to see Tyler drown and suffer.

When she got home that day she'd been surprised to see a mail from her…maybe-boyfriend (they hadn't really spoke about it) only to find out that Tyler had in fact made the decision for her. Rather quickly as well. Apparently some girl he met in one of his find-myself travels who he'd never _ever_ before considered dating. It was only too convenient how he realized his feelings for said girl in the time it took her to get out of the country. She felt betrayed. It had only been a month for god's sake! Was she really that easy to forget?

Obviously she had reacted. Tyler had a werewolf gene. Needless to say, it was getting ugly. He told her all the times she'd smothered him with her control-freak tendencies, that he needed some space. He had the nerve to say she was taking away his freedom. _Really?_

_You sure as hell didn't complain about my control-freak tendencies when I helped you through your stupid transformations. I hope next time the full moon comes; your new plaything is there to help you._

He didn't take too well to her talking about (Penny? Hally? Whatever-her-name-was) in that way. She was a wonderful girl and if she wasn't so_ judgmental_ she would see that and be happy for him. He hadn't been the one who decided to leave his life behind for a year of fun. _What about all those times you just left without a single word? You don't like it when it's being done to you? I'm sorry; I thought you wouldn't care since you value so much your freedom. Don't let me keep you from your next conquest. Hell knows she won't be the last._

She taped the words a little more forcefully than strictly necessary and resisted the urge to toss the laptop out the window when she realized she'd knocked the key off. Great. Now she was breaking her stuff over Tyler. They'd been sending each other messages all day (or night, it didn't really make a difference with the time-zones) and she was only getting more and more worked up over the whole thing. She turned up the volume of her music and started writing her first report for the European history class. She was still waiting for Tyler's response.

The sky was dark outside when Caroline heard a tap on her door. Three in fact; short but firm, jumping to the edges of her conscience, she got a notification and she opened the last message on the inbox; in a single line, it read. _She's not that easy to replace._ She gripped the edged of the computer until her knuckles turned white. _How dare he? How..?!_ She snapped back to reality as she heard the knocking again, this time a little louder.

It seemed something (or rather someone) required her attention. She tossed the computer on the bed and made her way to the door kicking everything out of the way and hoping Tyler (or his new girlfriend) could feel it all the way to mystic falls.

The swung the door open, barely noticing the way it almost came off its hinges from the pure force of it.

"What?!"- She snapped. Then she immediately regretted it.

There at her door stood Klaus, (which should not have been that surprising considering it was only the two of them living in the house- Mr. Jones didn't count) What was in fact rather surprising, in a very pleasing way, was to see him in a pair of black slacks, dark grey dress shirt and a matching dress Jacket. Not quite a tuxedo, but still, it seemed to be tailored for every shape and angle of his fit frame. She suddenly felt very much like a housemaid standing in front of him, especially when she was sporting her brand study-dork messy bun on top on her head and he smelled like he could make a perfume maker jealous any day of the week

"I... I'm sorry I seem to be disturbing you sweetheart, please forgive my intrusion"- He apologized and without even waiting for an answer, he turned to walk down the hall-

"Huh?" – Caroline barely had time to think what she was doing before she dashed after him, grabbing him by the wrist before he could take the stairs- "wait!"- She called rather desperately as he turned around to look at her. The look in his face almost made her release his hand instantly. He looked about ready to cry…or strangle her. She truly couldn't say she knew how to interpret that particular look. He eyes travelled slowly from her hand on his wrist to her face and she decided that was her cue to explain herself- I'm sorry I snapped to you like that, I've got a lot going on in my mind. You didn't deserve that.

She waited for a full 10 seconds for his answer, but instead, his face broke into a disarming smile which had her knees shaking like she'd had the longest run of her life mere seconds before.

"It's ok love, I just thought maybe you needed some space"- Great. Now he thought she had some kind of Tyler-complex

"Not at all!"- She responded a little too quickly. Then she corrected- that is, we can talk if you want, it's not a problem for me.

"Aren't you too busy to hang out with silly old me?"- Did he just refer to himself as old? Was he serious? Did he not see how hot he was? He could be 90 and she wouldn't care! Seriously though, It was not fair how absolutely stunning he was (and really, who could blame her for checking him out? The guy was practically a model) and so adorable too; especially when he tilted his head to the side, like he was doing at the moment. Did he say anything?

-"are you ok Caroline? You seem a little spaced out"_- damn it!_

_- _ "I... err… yeah! Totally"- She'd been daydreaming again. At this point, it was a miracle he wasn't used to her ogling, it had already been a month since she moved in with him and still he had a very intoxicating effect on her she couldn't quite explain- "I'm sorry, was there anything you wanted?"- She asked finally. He regarded her as if weighting his options. She hurried to reassure him.

- "I have time for you"- Then she realized what she said and how it must have sounded- "that is, I can make time"- his eyebrows raised to his hairline and she blushed furiously when she realized what she'd just said didn't really make anything any better- "I can spare some, I mean… Only if you want though, I don't even know yet why you knocked on my door but I'm guessing-"

-"would you like to have dinner with me Caroline?"- He asked at last, interrupting her ranting effectively.

-"what?"- She spilled out before she could even think about it

He took a quick shallow breath and lowered his head as he started shooting all kinds of incoherent thoughts from his mouth that she wouldn't have been able to hear if she were not a vampire- "Bloody hell, Of course she doesn't you creeper, she's your roommate, now you scared her for good, and you have no one to blame but yourself. Brilliant, just brilliant Nicklaus"

What the hell was he talking about? She fought hard not to let out the laugh that suddenly started bubbling in her chest and just like that, all her anger and the argument she'd just had with Tyler were forgotten. Instead let out a breathy "I'd love to" by way of confirmation. He stopped berating himself instantly and that heartbreaking smile of his adorned his face once more. _He had dimples!_

"Wonderful"- He replied, adverting his eyes in a shy-boy fashion- "Dinner will be served in 20 minutes, see you downstairs".

"Ok"- she replied. As soon as the descended the stairs she rushed to her room in a frenzy. Twenty minutes? She only had twenty minutes to look presentable in front of Mr. Perfect? Gosh, she needed to hurry!

Unfortunately, no matter how fast she was at vampire speed, her curls always took a good 15 minutes to look good. She'd have to hurry the bath routine then.

When she got downstairs, she was already 10 minutes late. Klaus was already seated at the head of the table and he immediately got up when she entered the room. She could have sworn she heard him swallow when he saw her.

She didn't have too many fancy clothes with her (in fact, she'd only bought her little black dress in case she went to party. You never knew when you needed to go out partying) but Caroline had always prided herself in making the best of what she had. And she did know how to do that. He hurried to her side (nearly tripping the chair over) and guided her to her seat, right beside him.

She noticed they where currently in the dining room and couldn't help but wonder on the change of settling.

"I thought it wouldn't hurt to use it once in a while"- he explained, as if reading her thoughts. She nodded in agreement

"So what's the special occasion?"

"I got some great news from one of my associates and I felt it was only proper to celebrate"

"Good for you! What is it? Got a new investment?"- She really didn't know much about what Klaus did for a living. Obviously, it worked for him.

"Something like that, but let us talk about other subject love, like how stunning you look in that dress. I tell you, If you weren't a minor, I wouldn't mind chasing after you"- _Ouch. What a way to unknowingly remind her she'd always be a little girl in any man's eyes_

"I'll have you know I'm actually 18 and a half. So no, I'm not a minor"- She said, trying to play it off as a side comment. Now he was looking at her genuinely interested.

"You don't say! I think you're in danger now, Miss Forbes"

"Am I?"- She replied playfully. He always brought out that side of her. The one that wanted to be noticed. It was just too bad he also made her horribly insecure, what with his perfect Adonis-like features.

Before he could reply, a pair of maids appeared before them, setting two identical sets or plates in front of them. Her mouth automatically watered at the delicious smelling food in front of her. _Had it been that long since she'd had a real nice dinner? _The answer was obviously yes. Her mother had never been much of a chef and as soon as she found out Caroline was a vampire she stopped trying all together. When Liz Forbes cooked (if she did) the food came from a can or a box. That was the only explainable reason why she suddenly felt like she was actually hungry. And she meant food-hungry, not…uh...yeah.

Klaus smiled sheepishly in her direction and reached for the bottle of champagne which had somehow appeared before them.

"I hope you don't mind, they didn't have too much variety at the store in Oxford. This was the best I could find".

She smiled reassuringly, mostly because the bottle looked very expensive, but also because to her, there was really no difference. She didn't know much about champagne after all.

He poured them both a glass of the sparkling liquid and raised his glass for a toast.

"To future plans"- He toasted. She smiled and raised the glass to her mouth- "and to you, Caroline, thank you for your lovely company"- She blushed furiously under his gaze, but clanged her glass against his and they both drank to their heart's content.

The rest of the dinner went smoothly. The food was (predictably) delicious and Caroline almost felt bad her stomach got full so quickly. After dinner they served the dessert. (Apricot crème brûlée; 'cause even though Klaus was a proud Englishman, no one made desserts like the French)

And soon they were talking and laughing over the rest of the champagne (well, he was doing most of the talking, and she was the one laughing)

Neither of them seemed to notice when the bottle became empty to be replaced by another one and then another two._ Maybe Klaus was too drunk to notice she had an abnormal alcohol tolerance? _ His eyes were twinkling and she tucked a loose curl behind her ear._ Who cares?_

_-.-_

* * *

_Hope it was worth the wait :) let me know what you think _


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